Who has benefited from the 12 step program? Parental family of codependents
Even a cursory glance at the history of the 12 Step program is striking and convincing of some special phenomenality of this phenomenon. Judge for yourself.
The birth of a group of anonymous alcoholics, created by former alcoholics, stockbroker Billy W. (William Grift Wilson, 1895-1971) and physician-surgeon Bob (Robert Halbrook Smith, 1895-1971) is attributed to 1935-1937. .
The movement originated in the United States of America. Therefore, this country is today its focal point with headquarters in New York. Subsequently, the cells of the movement spread to other regions of the world, as well as to almost all countries of Western Europe.
The pastors of the three main Protestant denominations also stood at the origins of this new association. In 1939, similar programs were introduced in Canada, Ireland, Mexico, and Japan. The rapid growth and scale of the spread of this organization are striking.
An analysis of the results of the activities of various self-help groups based on the ideology of the "12 steps" subsequently made it possible to combine the spiritual principles of the work of AA groups (and others) with certain provisions of psychology, psychiatry, sociology, anthropology and other sciences.
This led to the emergence in the late 40s of the Minnesota model, which is based on the following ideas:
Chemical addiction (alcoholism, drug addiction) is an incurable chronic disease that has a spiritual basis and occurs through no fault of the sick person;
Chemical addiction is one of the possible manifestations of deep spiritual defects (later they were called codependency) and has a common nature with other types of addiction;
Dependence cannot be cured, but a turn from the development of the disease to recovery is possible if a person is ready for such a turn and the desire to abandon self-will for this;
A person suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction can easily develop dependence on any substances that change consciousness, volitional, emotional or intellectual sphere. Therefore, treatment according to the Minnesota model is completely drug-free;
The treatment center should be a therapeutic community whose staff does not oppose the patients, but cooperates with them. Maximum openness in communication is encouraged and stimulated, with strict observance of the rules of confidentiality and anonymity;
The responsibility for recovery lies with the patient.
The "12-Tishagoviki" got to Russia.
Since 1987, the "12-step" program for the rehabilitation of alcohol and drug addicts has been introduced and actively distributed throughout Russia. All kinds of congresses, symposiums, conferences are held, special literature, almanacs, brochures, books with AA symbols are published. Protestant pastor D.V. Kinley helped organize the activities of branches in Kyiv, Chisinau, Odessa, Alma-Ata, Novosibirsk and Moscow.
Since the beginning of the 90s of the last century, taking advantage of the fact that, unfortunately, neither in the country as a whole, nor in the Russian Orthodox Church, in particular, there was still no experience of working with drug addicts and any rehabilitation programs, some figures seized on what, as always, "on time" slipped the West, and began to actively implement the "12-step" program in Russia. It is not for nothing that many Orthodox Russians consider the AN societies to be a health-improving, sect-like, Protestant-oriented international organization that is fed by "pastors" from abroad or at their prompting.
Yes, and some of our "advanced" activists and even priests were trained in the USA at the invitation of the Institute of Problems chemical addiction in New York (moreover, being distant in their education not only from the problems of narcology, but also from medicine in general). Can you imagine that former teachers, musicians or cooks suddenly become specialists in the field of narcology overnight (?!!). Not? It turns out that even as it is possible, there would be a desire, and America will help.
The purpose of such an internship is to adopt and implement in Russia the experience of getting rid of alcohol and drug addiction under the Protestant 12 Step Program, and this training takes place in the rehabilitation centers "Ashley" (Maryland) and "Graymar" (New York), etc. After completing courses there, borrowing ready-made methodology, having enlisted foreign support and citing the fact that "this program has already proven itself well in many countries", the program begins to be widely and very actively implemented in Russia through the hands of some of our fellow citizens. Moreover, money for this is given, including, for example, by Louis Bentle, president of one of the largest US tobacco companies - "UST", who for some reason is very interested in the rehabilitation of our compatriots from drugs, and the training of our psychologists is led by professionals from the most famous centers USA: Heselden (Florida), Ashley (Maryland), High Watch (Connecticut), Sulfur Tucson (Arizona), Graymar (New York).
"... The 12 Steps program is lobbied by the state and financed by international structures."
I would like to recall the story of the introduction of the Demographic Containment Programs in our country - "Sex Education" and "Family Planning" - also "well-proven" (from the point of view of those who were hindered by the population of Russia) and brought to us from the USA. Then we bit our elbows and now, having declared the demographic problem a priority for Russia, we are trying to save the situation! Why, according to the same scheme, Scientology was introduced in our country, and the first adherents-implementers of it in Russia were those who flew to London for an internship former astronaut and a police officer. And the notorious program "Alpha-Omega" with the same Protestant flavor, which was also tried to be pushed through the Russian Orthodox Church by Abbot Evmeny, who compromised himself in the Ivanovo Diocese and was expelled from it and from the abbess of the Nikolo-Reshemsky Monastery?
As long as the problems of chemical dependence are dealt with by incompetent people, it is not necessary to expect positive results. We even know a case when ensigns, pharmacists, computer scientists and hairdressers suddenly took up serious issues of obstetrics and gynecology. Now the same story is repeating itself with drug addiction issues. As they say in the famous fable of I.A. Krylov:
The trouble is, if the cobbler starts the pies,
And boots to stitch a pieman,
And things won't work out.
Yes, and noted a hundred times,
That someone loves to take on someone else's craft,
He is always more stubborn and absurd than others:
He'd rather ruin everything...
Our country is being ruined by amateurs and innovators-reformers greedy for Western handouts.
According to many Russian researchers, the 12-step Program does not take root well in our soil. I wonder why? Yes, because our mentality is spiritual immunity. A series of materials was published in the literature of the narcological profile, in which the experience of the work of the AA society was analyzed (A.L. Igonin. 2007). And although the authors in some ways positively assessed this experience, their judgments were not so enthusiastic.
Hieromonk Iona Zaimovsky, author of the book "The Church and the Suffering Personality" and head of the Center spiritual development of children and youth at St. Daniel's Monastery, characterizes the success of AA/AN groups working on a foreign model "as an unprecedented success." Guess where the respected hieromonk trained?
It is a pity that a priest living in Russia, brought up and educated here, does not take into account the vast experience accumulated in the Russian Orthodox Church in spiritual care and healing of spiritual ailments.
This is also a positive experience of healing drunkards and alcoholics in the "Societies of Temperance" before the outbreak of the First World War.
It's hard to guess and sad if he doesn't know it. Even sadder if he knows and rejects.
This experience is now being actively revived in Russia. As well as the rich experience accumulated to date by Orthodox organizations in the rehabilitation of drug addicts. What prevents Father Jonah, an Orthodox monk, from studying and using for the benefit of lost souls domestic experience? Of course, it is easier and easier to follow the path beaten by the West. Correspond, so to speak, with the spirit of the times, pass for an innovator-reformer. But what awaits us at the end of this path?! Moreover, the West itself is not enthusiastic about the effectiveness of its programs.
Can you imagine Bishop Nicholas of Japan, who enlightened Japan with the light of Orthodoxy, "working" there for the convenience of the local population on "non-Orthodox" programs, and speaking "of other gods"? Or Nestor Kamchatsky, or ow. Macarius of Altai and many, many others? Is everything really so hopeless in Russia that we are forced by the hands of the Orthodox priesthood to conduct a Protestant or other mission in an Orthodox environment?!
The first issue of the journal "Narcology" for 2007 published an article by Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Head of the Department of Forensic Psychiatric Problems of Drug Addiction and Alcoholism of the Federal State Institution "V.P. Serbsky State Research Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry" of Roszdrav A.L. Igonin "The Society of Anonymous Alcoholics and Prospects for Its Activities in Russia (Review)". This material, quite concretely, objectively reflects various aspects of the work of the Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous (AA/NA) community from real scientifically grounded positions.
What is a 12 step program?
Professor A.L. Igonin distinguishes three main components of the AA/AN movement method:
Appealing to the (supposedly) religious sensibilities of its members;
Active interaction among themselves and mutual assistance to each other of patients in the group;
Creation of a special anti-alcohol (anti-drug) social environment.
The experience of the 12-Step Program has shown the supposedly excellent results of its work around the world, and, if you can believe it, has helped a huge number of drug addicts and alcoholics begin to lead a sober lifestyle. This, of course, is a gratifying moment - thousands of people stop being drug addicts without any medical treatment, but only by changing their lifestyle. But then he clearly testifies in favor of the fact that alcoholism and drug addiction are illnesses, primarily spiritual ones. And if this is so, then we can assume the path to liberation from the plague of the XXI century.
We will not now analyze the so-called "religious" work experience in 12 steps. Not only is it highly doubtful, but, from our point of view, it is not at all religious. AT best case it can be called "spiritual" to some extent. But we know that there is no equal sign between the concepts "religious" and "spiritual". Yes, and spirituality of spirituality is different!
Consider the second component of AA/AN activity, group interaction. The use of this method is in no way an A.A. invention. This particular manifestation of group psychotherapy for narcological diseases was widely used as early as the beginning of the 20th century in the United States. This method, according to Prof. A.L. Igonin (regardless of whether it is used by members of the AA society or by psychotherapists of ordinary narcological hospitals), has a number of effects that are important for the cure of patients. These include: building cohesion, instilling hope, generalization, altruism, providing information, interpersonal learning, developing communication skills, imitating behavior, catharsis. This can be considered an important point in the process of rehabilitation of patients.
The third component of the activity of the AA/AN society is the creation of a special social environment. Patients and members of their families communicate not only during the meetings of the cells, but also outside them. They drive social activities to promote a sober lifestyle and disseminate the experience of AA / AN activities. However, unfortunately, this type of activity of the Academy of Sciences also requires special consideration and adjustment.
It should be noted that there is a great shortcoming in the activities of AA / AN, which can lead them (and sometimes does) to serious medical consequences. The fact is that the AA/AN ideologists in their activities distance themselves from relationships with the narcological and psychiatric institutions of official medicine. On the one hand, this is fraught with medical problems for patients (and we know similar cases: the development of acute psychoses and the commission of suicidal attempts, especially in the post-abstinence and early recovery periods, when they often develop severe depressive syndrome), and on the other hand, it may even indicate their connection with a destructive sect - in particular, Scientology organizations involved in pseudo-medical practices (for example, "Narconon", "Church of Scientology" and other Hubbardist organizations (Dianetic centers, Criminon, etc.), which belong to dangerous destructive cults! Scientology is an example of a totalitarian sect, the most archetypal totalitarian sect.
And there is such a connection. We have documents Federal Service Russian Federation for drug control and the prosecutor's office of Moscow, indicating that the 12-step Programs in the world are actively distributed with the money of that same destructive sect - the American Hubbard Center. And Scientologists, as you know, have a particular predilection for methods of mental influence on people and intrude into narcology with their dubious, or rather occult, methods that suppress the will and consciousness of the individual, while being intolerant of official psychiatry and narcology.
We felt hostility on the part of Scientologists both on the activities of our Center and on ourselves personally (they opened a dossier on me at the headquarters of Scientologists in Moscow, which was shown on TV a few years ago - Fr Anatoly Berestov).
The fact that the "12 steps" are being promoted all over the world, including with Hubbard and Soros money, is well known, although I do not at all claim that the fathers Jonah and Peter work for this money. I do not know this, and therefore I have no right to say, but I know for sure that in the world the 12 steps apply to Hubbard and Sor money.
Anatoly Berestov, hieromonk
Russian line - 10/16/2007.
References
1. Ivanova N., Birun N.. "Drugs: there is a way out." S.-Pb-Moscow-Kharkov-Minsk. 2001. -S. 111-112.
2. Nevyarovich V.K. "Defect of the soul".
3. Zaimovsky Jonah, hieromonk. The Church and the Suffering Person. - M.: Danilovsky Blagovestnik, 2005. - P.21
4. Dvorkin A.L. Sectology. totalitarian sects. - Nizhny Novgorod: Christian Library. 2006.
5. Zaimovsky Jonah, hieromonk. The Church and the Suffering Personality". - M .: Danilovsky Blagovestnik, 2005. - C.14.
6. 12 steps and 12 traditions. - New York, 1989. - P.26.
Addiction treatment can be really effective if you use 12 step program. Of course it's not fast way. But all over the world this program was recognized not only as effective, but also as the most civilized.
About the program
The 12-step treatment program has been in use since 1939 and has not been changed since. That is, it is well structured and developed in accordance with the psychological model of life. It should also be noted that it is very versatile, as it is used to treat various forms dependencies.
Drug addiction is a disease characterized by persistent psychological dependence. This ailment is now successfully treated with the help of the 12-step program. Narcotics Anonymous groups work with addicts based on the principles of this program. It is also designed to work with relatives of drug addicts, as they are codependent and this is also a problem.
Narcotics Anonymous appeared a little later than Alcoholics Anonymous, but the principles and traditions of work were the same. Today these groups are in all big cities. These meetings may be attended by drug addicts or people who think they are starting to have a drug problem. Relatives and friends are only allowed to open meetings. They are usually held once a week.
Attention!
In our centers we use the global program "12 steps". We have been working since 1996 throughout Russia. The technique was recognized as the best, by the country's chief narcologist E.A. Bryun
Rehabilitation
Psychological rehabilitation is a long stage. It is better that it lasts from 6 months, this period is very important. Since statistics say that 87% of rehabilitators after being in a rehabilitation center for 6 or more months stopped using drugs.
Psychological rehabilitation consists in the work of specialists with a drug addict. Professionals include psychologists, psychotherapists, and counselors, some of whom have used drugs themselves and are already long time stay sober. These people help a person to fully recognize his addiction. And then the drug addict is helped to change his habits, lifestyle, and acquire new skills, hobbies.
Proven rehabilitation centers. The most effective treatment method
It is important to understand that no one is dictated to anyone, and no one is forced to do anything, the addict is simply helped, stimulated to take action.
Note:
During the time spent in a rehabilitation center, a person misses something, gains something new for himself, but in any case, all this has a good effect on him.
One of the main tasks of this program is to fill the spiritual and moral spheres of a person's personality, since during the time of drug use they are completely exhausted.
After treatment program
Social rehabilitation is the third stage of recovery. It is also very important, since a person stays in a rehabilitation center for a long time and gets used to that environment. And when he returns home, he is faced with a completely different reality.
The addict has fears of society and does not yet know how to integrate into it as a new person. A psychologist, who needs to be visited after a rehabilitation center, will help him adapt. Such meetings can be group, that is, 5 people. As a rule, you need to visit a psychologist 2-3 times a week. The duration of such therapy can be from 2 to 6 months, it all depends on how quickly a person adapts.
At the same time, you can visit groups of Narcotics Anonymous. They also work on the 12 step program. People with different experiences and different periods of sobriety gather there and exchange information. There, the addict will receive additional motivation to continue their path of recovery. Namely, when people in the group tell their stories who have not been using for 10 years and live happily. This is the support and motivation that a person needs at this stage. It is also important to help other addicts, for example, those who have recently quit using and are still struggling with their desires. This also encourages you not to stop and helps you realize your achievements in recovery.
Affordable rehabilitation
Today, the most accessible and effective centers are those that are members of the Association of Affordable Rehabilitation Centers in Russia. These centers practice the 12 step program. At the same time, assistance is provided not only during the period of being in rehabilitation, but also in the post-rehabilitation period in restoring the social status of addicts. Also, the centers included in the "Association" provide psychological help friends and relatives of drug addicts.
Attention!
The information in the article is for informational purposes only and is not an instruction for use. Consult with your physician.
11. program "12 steps"
In 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in the United States. Its founders were William (Bill) Wilson and Robert (Bob) Smith. The basis of the work of the Community was the program of 12 Steps. The idea of the program is in repentance, in changing the way of thinking, because without it the work of the Steps is impossible. The 12 Step Program has won recognition among patients and professionals around the world. The fact is that the main task of the program is to change a person's view of the world, to return him to normal human values. In practice, we are talking about a rehabilitation program, in which the patients themselves act as "therapists". The program solves the main problem of the treatment of drug addiction and alcoholism: a complete spiritual reorientation of the drug addict.
This is the most effective program alcoholism/drug addiction treatment. It involves the work of transforming the personality of an addicted person into that of a recovering addict.
At the same time, a person stops using alcohol / drugs and begins to lead a sober lifestyle, in which he is guided by the newly acquired sanity, constant conscious contact with God and other recovering people. The original purpose of AA was to help alcoholics stop drinking. It was not a universal program for all people. The 12 Steps program is best known for the activities of Alcoholics Anonymous, founded in Ikron, Ohio, USA in 1934. Now Alcoholics Anonymous is a world-renowned organization of men and women who share with each other. their experiences and hopes and support each other in an attempt to recover from alcoholism.This society exists on a voluntary basis.
One of the main tenets of the 12 Step program is: dependent person loses control of his own feelings and emotions. It is emotional immaturity, variability and underdevelopment that is a common characteristic property of all alcoholics. The mechanism of emotional stability falters, and then completely blocked. A person cannot endure any emotional experiences: neither grief, nor joy, nor fear, nor resentment, and he sees only one way out of this situation - drinking alcohol.
And when the limit comes, he finds a way out in the use of surfactants, which at least for a short time give him a state of rest, relieve him of internal stress. But this apparent sense of calm is a short-term phenomenon that quickly passes, and the problem remains unresolved.
Based on this, the goal of the 12 Step program is to achieve emotional maturity, which can only be obtained through careful study of each stage, while the help and support of other community members plays a big role. The “12 Steps” program sets only one, but a very important condition - a person must want to get rid of addiction himself, he must tune in to active work on “restructuring” himself, while realizing the duration and complexity of the process of healing and rehabilitation.
In keeping with the program's adage, "bring the body, the head will come later," patients who purposefully work to get rid of their addictions change their own behavioral patterns and value systems and beliefs in the process.
Systematic classes, constant training allow the participant of the program to develop the skills of new behavior, to master its specific models for various situations.
Even after a long time, a patient who has embarked on the path of recovery cannot yet think and reason in a new way, but he can already update his actions, copying them from other program participants who already have a certain experience of a sober life. In getting rid of addiction, behavioral imitation is used.
As a result, the patient, although he still thinks like an alcoholic or drug addict, is already performing new actions that characterize him as a recovering person. It is no coincidence that a person in such a “borderline” state is called in AA not yet sober, but “dry”.
The 12 Step program is perceived as a special tool that allows alcoholics to change their attitude towards themselves and their own lives, rethink a number of stereotypes that have developed in their minds and begin to live a normal life. Purposeful work on the “Steps” allows you to do without alcohol and other substances in certain life situations, learn to enjoy life without taking any drugs and drugs, and feel like a full-fledged and healthy person again.
An important role in the formation of a certain model of the patient's behavior, building his relationship with society and planning later life play short "Slogans" or "Slogans" of the 12 Step program. A kind of guide to action, they constantly "advise" what to do in a given situation, thereby facilitating the choice and existence of the patient in real life. These are the slogans:
"Don't rush, but do it"
"Live One Day"
"Think, think, think"
"Live and let live"
"First things first"
"It works when you work"
"I can't - we can"
"Make a decision and do it"
The essence of the slogan: the gradual process of recovery of the patient requires a gradual step-by-step work on the provisions of the program. There is no need to try to do everything at once, the program is designed to understand each step, and forcing events can lead to a breakdown.
In his zeal to quickly get rid of the addiction, in the desire to cover everything at once and get the result faster, the patient may not be able to cope with the requirements put forward to him, he may not yet be ready enough for them. And only gradualness can guarantee success in curing addiction.
"Live One Day"
The main task is to prevent taking the “first glass” or “first dose”, which often turns out to be the most difficult and impossible in reality. The motto requires: forbid yourself to just start drinking or taking a drug, only on this day try to stay sober, because others will come after this day. But for now, the most important thing is not to “take” the very first portion.
"First things first"
The patient should concentrate on the main thing - to be sober. No other problems should worry him yet, although, naturally, both drug addicts and alcoholics are connected by certain relationships and have many different obligations to other people.
But if a person does not stop taking alcohol, then the end of his life will be sad, and then it will be too late to think about any obligations. Alcohol will undermine and destroy both soul and body, set it up for conflict with relatives and friends, so the main thing for the patient during this period is endurance and the desire to remain sober in any situation.
"I can't - we can"
The addict must be clearly aware that there is a way out of this terrible impasse where he has driven himself. And it is much easier to cope with this disease in a group of like-minded people, when you can count on support and help.
It should be noted that the "Mottoes" play a huge role in the later life of a sick person, when he has already left the clinic. They help him make the right decision in the difficult conditions of real life, where he may face various difficulties and temptations. It is they who help to build the trajectory along which one should live, make decisions, and do without taking drugs or alcohol.
“Slogans” are assistants, templates, with the help of which it is much easier to perform the necessary and correct adequate actions in a given situation, to respond to all the challenges of harsh reality, and this despite the fact that new models of behavior are still being formed and are not fixed in the mind of a sick person .
It is important to follow the slogan "Live one day" which is used in the programs of many schools when delivering patients from addiction and is interpreted as the "Here and Now" principle. This motto requires the patient to clearly understand his place in the world in this moment, awareness of their actions at this very moment, full concentration on this reality. At the same time, the patient should in no way forget about his past; rather, knowledge of his past problems enables him to rationally and effectively plan for the future. Neglecting the mistakes of the past is fraught with repeating them in the future, which is why it is so important to learn to feel the present, to realize the value of oneself and one's responsibility for others.
“Mottos”, among other things, are a kind of shield from those attitudes that were fixed during periods of drug use or alcohol consumption. The skillful application of these slogans allows you to quickly and painlessly adapt to normal life, communicate with other people, feel like a full-fledged person.
From Breakdown-Recovery Step One: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol [drugs], we admitted that we had lost control of ourselves.
“I have acknowledged and accepted the fact that I have a vicious habit of alcohol or other drugs and that my addiction creates [for me] serious life problems. I can no longer safely consume alcohol and drugs and need help to achieve sobriety. able to recover."
Step Two: Came to believe that only a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity.
"Implies help, which can come from other people and a Higher Power."
Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to God as we understood Him.
"I will seek the help of this Higher Power and follow its instructions."
Step Four: They deeply and fearlessly assessed themselves and their lives from a moral point of view.
"I will evaluate my current strengths and weaknesses, and therefore I will be able to strengthen my strengths and overcome my shortcomings."
Step Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to some other person the true nature of our wrongs.
"I will discuss my self-esteem with at least one person and listen to his assessment."
Step Six: Completely prepared ourselves for God to deliver us from our shortcomings.
"By exertion of will, I will do the work necessary to overcome my weaknesses, paying attention to the daily suffering and problems that these weaknesses cause."
Step Seven: We humbly asked Him to correct our shortcomings.
"I will receive from my Higher Power the courage, strength and hope to overcome my shortcomings, intending to punctually explore ways to eliminate them."
Step Eight: We made a list of all the people we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them.
“We have identified those people whom we have harmed by our addiction and have become willing to undo the harm done to them.”
Step Nine: Personally made amends for the damage caused to these people, wherever possible, except in cases where it could harm them or anyone else.
“We sincerely tried to repair the damage caused by our addiction whenever it was possible to do so.”
Stopping habitual drug use and attending groups is not enough if we refuse to change other aspects of our lives. The steps involve implementing the principles of recovery in all of our activities.
Step Ten: We continued to introspect and, when we made mistakes, immediately admitted it.
“We have made [a] commitment to maintaining sound behavior and [analyzing] its consequences. When we faced negative consequences, we figured out what actions caused them and changed our behavior.
Recoverers learn the difference between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. They learn to think freely about problems, to identify and resolve all related experiences, and to act positively. All this can be summarized by the acronym “MCHD” - Thought, Feeling, Action. recovery implies rational thinking, a clear understanding of one's own emotions and the ability to manage them, the ability to act constructively and resist self-destructive impulses.
Step Eleven: Through prayer and meditation, we sought to deepen our contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will that we must fulfill and for the power to do so.
“Every day we took time to focus our thoughts on the meaning and purpose of life and sobriety. As a result, we have found within ourselves a new source of courage, strength and hope.”
Step Twelve: Having achieved the spiritual awakening that these steps led to, we tried to convey the meaning of our ideas to other alcoholics and apply these principles in all our affairs.
“We have made a fundamental rethinking of our values, desires and feelings. We have found that the use of alcohol and other drugs is no longer important or attractive to us. We have a new understanding of our bad habit and the role it has played in our lives. We began to feel sober, as well as calm and secure within ourselves. These changes allow us to help other people who still suffer from addiction. To make sure that we do not lose what we have achieved, we must work on a daily program of recovery.
For most people, the resolution of problems caused by family upbringing will be delayed if they are not given special attention. The twelve-step program Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) can help. Many chemical dependency recoverers with years of sobriety working in an ACA program that complements their A.A. [NA], reconsidered their painful attitudes received in childhood and improved the overall quality of recovery.
More information (about the same, but in other words, I think you can not read, posted just in case):
One of the A.A. traditions is that they are based on attractive ideas, not propaganda. This chapter will describe how the author himself understands these ideas, without pretense of evaluation.
From a clinical point of view, this program gives quite significant results. All over the world, it is the "12 steps" that are considered the most civilized way to solve the problem. One gets the impression that “this horse” pulled out more than one, but is this correct or not from a scientific point of view? As a practicing doctor, I try not to ask such questions, especially since the opinions of scientists about the effectiveness of such programs are very diverse. Sometimes diametrically opposite...
The main thing to understand is that the 12 Steps is a program of spiritual growth. This is not a clinical detox, not employment, not communication training, but a place where a person can understand himself. Other members of the community can help him with this, but everything he does or misses will be done by himself. No one will lead him, or take his responsibility. After all, this is the concept of freedom: do what you want, do not interfere with anyone and bear responsibility for what you have done.
Depending on the translation into Russian, the steps in different editions are slightly different, but the main idea everywhere alone.
The first step: admitted their powerlessness over alcohol, came to the conclusion that they were not in control of their lives.
Many, hearing this at an A.A. meeting, immediately experienced negative denial: “I thought I could draw strength from them, but they are powerless!” The idea is that only by admitting powerlessness can a person stop trying to do what they have always done.
Powerlessness is not weakness. Weakness is partial, it humiliates a person, impotence is absolute, it exalts. Recognition of powerlessness is an adult decision, only knowing what I am capable of will I be able to develop, otherwise I will have to continue to test the world for strength, finding out what I still cannot. Impotence is a wonderful thing, because it removes the need for prohibition. A person does not need to forbid himself to lie down on the rails in front of the train, since he admits his powerlessness in front of the locomotive. If he sees this as a weakness, he will have to forbid himself from such actions each time until he deceives himself and still tries to commit an insane act. Recognition of powerlessness is a victory over temptation, not a struggle that draws you into excitement and anger, but an opportunity to pass by. In fact, the recognition of complete impotence will allow a person to avoid the curse of Sisyphus. If this ancient hero had admitted his powerlessness over the stone, he would have gone up the mountain without it.
The third step in the program is seen by many as the cornerstone, the "capstone". It consists in the fact that we have entrusted our will to a higher power, as we understood it.
I often had to see people who, after these words, literally jumped up and ran away from the meeting, believing that they were on some kind of sectarian sermon. Many decorously explained that I was an atheist, an agnostic, and, in general, if I wanted to talk about God, I would go to church. Firstly, this is the third step, not everyone started with it, besides, some, starting with God-seeking, immediately became religious fanatics. There is a rule in the community: “First come to the group, then come to your senses, and then to God.” In any case, the 12 steps are not a sect, and everything is done in order not to become a sect. There will be no sermons, for this you really need to go to the temple.
An alcoholic is a mentally ill person, and therefore it is only natural that this is a program of spiritual growth. Trying to save the soul, and not thinking about the Almighty, a person risks losing it again.
Alcoholics Anonymous is not a religious program: it is not recommended to mention the name of God at the meeting - everyone has their own ideas. There are people for whom the Higher Power is generally not presented in the form of the God that is usually mentioned in traditional confessions. People believe in Universal Justice, in the Wisdom of Nature, in the expediency of existence. It doesn't matter. The important thing is that these people have a meaning of life, not an earthly, momentary one, which can be viewed differently depending on the situation or mood, but a comprehensive one, independent of circumstances and the opinions of others.
Many said that before the third step, there was a feeling that you were trying to get out of the ice pit, but the walls were slippery, and no matter how quickly you moved your feet, you still slide down. And only after I managed to take on something unshakable, the situation began to change for real.
8th and 9th step: made a list of people who were harmed and tried to make amends if it did not bother anyone.
Debts have to be distributed. These "tails" of the disease will not allow a person to go further, but this is the 8th and 9th step. You don't have to start with this. Debts must be distributed by a person who can no longer borrow. Only when the alcoholic has already acquired the skills to protect himself from addiction can he begin to do something for others, realizing that he can do it. It is not always possible to distribute debts, Not all the people to whom you owe something are ready to accept an apology from you. No need to demand, the main thing is your readiness, determination.
Step 12: trying to convey the meaning of our ideas to other alcoholics - the final one. Many began their sobriety with a "fight against alcohol." They literally pounced on a drunken neighbor, dragged a relative by the hand to a group, or to a doctor, got acquainted with a drug addict, and then spent all their time and money on her treatment. As a rule, this “battle” ended with the disruption of the agitator himself. It was bad for the patient and terrible for his charges. Imagine what thoughts appeared in people who seemed to begin to believe, and suddenly, they saw him drunk.
AT modern form The 12 Step program has been operating since 1939, during which time it has helped millions of people get rid of addiction, get a chance to new life. The program was created in 1935 in Chicago, originally used for the treatment of alcohol addiction in the society of Alcoholics Anonymous, created at the same time. Since 1953, the program has also been used for the treatment of drug addiction. Today, the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction using this method is recognized as effective, and is used by rehabilitation centers around the world.
About the 12 Step Rehabilitation Program
The complexity of the treatment of addiction is that a person cannot break out of the usual circle of ideas about life, gets used to his condition. The 12 Step program offers a way to change, points the way for spiritual growth.
The purpose of the program is to help a person realize the disease, admit his own defeat in the fight against addiction, seek help from people, find the meaning of life. The program was created in a Protestant environment, and initially had a pronounced religious component.
Today, the idea of a Higher Power should not be understood from a religious point of view, rather, it is perfect image to which each person aspires, and understands in his own way.
The Higher Power from the 12 Step program can be compared to a yoga class. To perfect the body according to the yoga system, it is not necessary to accept the philosophy of Buddhism. Only yoga is a guide for improving the body, and the 12 Step program is a guide for spiritual development.
Description and main idea
The 12-step program contributes to the awakening of the inner conscience in a person, appeals to the soul of a person, and contributes to its growth. The success of the program depends on the willingness of the individual to change. The method helps to comprehend your life, identify the source of the problem, find the meaning of life.
The 12 Steps is used in rehab centers by Alcoholics Anonymous and Drug Addicts Anonymous. Group members have the opportunity to meet within the center, communicate, share experiences. Both beginners and those who have recovered from addiction take part in the lesson.
A newcomer does not immediately become a member of the group. First, he is invited to attend several classes, get acquainted with the situation in the group, the essence of the program and how it works. After he decides to become a participant in the program, he needs to choose a sponsor - a person to whom the addict can turn with all his questions and problems.
Sponsor - a participant in a psychological program who is at the stage of stable sobriety, who has not consumed alcohol for more than a year. Sponsorship is necessary in order to make it easier for a beginner to go through the steps. Program participants typically continue to attend classes after recovery.
In the video, the essence of the program 12 steps:
Stages
All 12 Steps of the program matter. The next step should be taken only after the previous Step has been comprehended and mastered. It should be noted once again that the program is not of a religious nature.
Step #1
Recognition of his impotence, loss of control over the attraction to alcohol.
This Step is the most difficult. It is he who serves as the main turning point in the line of human life. Not everyone is able to take this step, to say goodbye to their former life.
The transition to a sober life is associated with responsibility for those who are close to you - children, parents, spouse or wife. The result of all work on the program depends on how well this first step is mastered and thought out.
An addict must admit that his life is unmanageable, like a car without brakes, rushing into the abyss, destroying the lives of people close to him along the way.
Step #2
Awareness of the need for an external Force capable of restoring sanity.
Atheists - understanding, supported by the examples of group members, that you can not drink and be happy.
At the second stage, a person must make sure that alcoholism is overcome, with perseverance, you can regain sanity, part with the madness that makes you repeat mistakes.
What, if not insanity, can explain attempts to treat alcoholism, without a conscious desire to end this habit. Any method of treatment turns out to be powerless if a person does not fully realize his addiction, does not want to get rid of it.
Treatment without awareness can lead to the fact that a person loses confidence in his abilities. The Second Step should just awaken in a person faith in himself, in the existence of a Force that can help him get out of the maelstrom of dependence.
Step #3
The decision to submit one's will to the Force that acts for the good of a person.
For atheists: they firmly decided to put an end to drinking, to learn from people who have learned to live without alcohol.
This decision means that it is necessary to accept the given in life as it is.
You need to stop lamenting about the unrealizable, rejoice in what you have, build relationships with loved ones, based on common interests. This decision must not only be understood, but also accepted with the heart, believing with all your heart that if you make an effort, you can achieve what you want.
The Third Step is getting rid of stubbornness, selfishness, the desire to withdraw into oneself. It is stubbornness and aggressiveness that deprive a person of the ability to contact the Force, contradict the very nature of a person.
Step #4
Subject your life to introspection, dispassionately assess the true motives of your actions.
At this stage, the addict submits critical appraisal himself, his values, principles, or lack thereof. At Step 4, a person must understand what he is, realize the motives of his actions, find himself hidden by layers of emotions, stubbornness, anger, selfishness.
During this important period, the addict must find the reasons for his irritation, resentment of the world, to understand what he really needs from life. The purpose of this step is to identify true reasons, pushed to alcohol, drugs.
Step #5
Present the result of work on yourself to the judgment of people.
Internal changes should go to new level, you need to admit your powerlessness before higher power, another person.
The results of the introspection of the previous 4 Steps the patient must present not only to the Force and himself, but also to tell other people about them. In practice, the patient turns to the sponsor, who not only listens carefully, but also provides assistance with recommendations.
Step 5 confession takes as much courage as the decision to enter the program. The sponsor chosen for confession must have certain qualifications.
Step #6
Willingness to correct, get rid of character flaws.
This step means understanding your shortcomings, reconciliation with yourself, but not indulging your negative inclinations. A person, having taken the sixth Step, is able to see what an obstacle his own habits, character traits have become for him.
At this stage, he has to think about what makes him act contrary to common sense what kind of character defects provoke wrong decisions.
At this Step, a person is fully aware of his defects of character, sees the possibility of further progress towards sobriety, controlling himself. By the end of the stage, the patient is fully prepared for changes, rushes with all his soul to the Force - the perfect image created by his consciousness.
Step #7
The beginning of conscious action is a request for help addressed to the Higher Power.
For atheists, this step is a time for changing habits, gaining positive experience, eradicating defects in one's character.
Awareness of one's failure, the desire to correct the situation cause the desire to act. This is manifested by a willingness to accept wholeheartedly the new rules of life, to cut off the last threads that connect with addictions.
This step is very important, at this stage a person is already able to control his attachments, is able to analyze his actions regardless of emotions, and begins to live a spiritual life.
Step #8
Time to draw up a specific action plan.
Step 8 requires you to clear your conscience of guilt. At this stage, all people affected by codependency should be remembered by name. The patient must realize the full extent of the damage caused to other people, make a list of loved ones affected by his actions.
The addict must be prepared for the fact that not everyone wants to listen to his explanations and apologies. Not to become embittered, to accept with patience a negative attitude towards oneself is not an easy task.
Step number 8 - moral preparation to accept fair reproaches, accusations, rejection, the opportunity to receive forgiveness. This forgiveness is the beginning of recovery, it removes a huge burden of guilt from a person and gives him the strength to live on.
Step #9
The time of active action, helping people affected by the actions of the patient during alcohol or drug addiction.
Step number 9 is the time of atonement for the harm caused to loved ones. The addict at this stage completely changes the form of communication in the family, makes every effort to make up for the lack of love for his children, his wife.
During this period, a person already understands his responsibility to others. The task of this stage is to establish relationships with friends, relatives, to give from the heart, without expecting compensation, without thinking about how these steps to application and forgiveness will be perceived.
Compensation for damage is understood not only as material losses caused to a person, but also moral damage. At this stage, the participation of the sponsor is important, it will help to understand how to act in some difficult cases. When, for example, the injured person has already died, is in prison, does not want to meet even just to discuss the problem.
Step #10
Time to turn the energy of destruction into a creative force, admitting one's mistakes, controlling one's addictions.
At this stage, you need to learn to control yourself in any situation, to keep all the positive achievements, not allowing yourself to fail. It is necessary to analyze each of your actions, any change in mood that can lead to a relapse.
A person should strive for sincerity, self-discipline, responsibility in every little thing. The tenth step teaches you to maintain long-term stable relationships with people, which is especially important for drug addicts, it brings harmony and spiritual comfort to life.
Step #11
Prayer, reflection, trust, understanding of the will of a higher Power.
Atheists - perfection.
Step number 11 is the time of spiritual search, the development of talents and capabilities inherent in a person. By this Step, addicts are already developing their own spiritual world but it is still in its infancy.
The penultimate stage of treatment is a period of reflection, concentration, peace. At this stage, false attachments to drinking companions are easily destroyed, communication with drug addict friends who do not want to change is stopped.
Step #12
Sincere desire to disseminate among patients with alcoholism, drug addiction knowledge about the way to get rid of slavish subordination to habit.
This meeting provides the newcomer with the necessary initial impulse that will enable him to act effectively and perseveringly.
At this stage, a person completely changes spiritually. The ever irritated, angry drug addict disappears, a person appears who is honest in dealing with other people, capable of real friendship, family life.
12 program steps 
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of the 12 Step program is that it explains how to live a sober life and gives the promise of complete freedom from addiction. The program leads a person step by step to himself, returns lost opportunities - family, career, hobbies.
The advantage of the program is that it has saved and continues to save many people around the world from alcohol and drug captivity.
Objections to the use of the 12 Steps for addiction treatment come from two seemingly opposite poles - from militant atheists and radical believers. Some accuse the program of appealing to a higher Power, while others see it as a sect.
Apparently, this is the case when the baby is thrown out with water. There is no denying the obvious - the 12 Step program works, and very successfully.
